1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to detecting leaks in piping systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to methods and devices for detecting leaks and their locations in piping systems.
2. Discussion of Background
Many methods and devices exist for determining the integrity of piping or vessels. Such devices are disclosed generally in several U.S. Patents including U.S. Pat. No. 4,450,711, issued to Claude; U.S. Pat. No. 4,723,441, issued to Sweeney; U.S. Pat. No. 4,998,435, issued to Miller et al; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,063,772, issued to Wellington et al.
In most known leak detecting devices for vacuum-tight vessels, an envelope or hood is used to surround the vessel exterior, a gas source introduces gas into the hood and a mass spectrometer inside the vessel detects the presence of gas that has passed through leaks in the vessel wall. Such devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,504,530, issued to Jacobs, and U.S. Pat. No. 2,486,199, issued to Nier.
Devices and methods similar to these have been applied to piping systems, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,703,978, issued to Baxter. U.S. Pat. No. 2,703,978 features a gas-filled hood that the piping moves through. A gas detector inside of the piping operates a recording or marking device that assists in determining whether there are leaks present in the piping. Similarly, in a method for testing the tightness of bodies, Bacroix, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,842,659, discloses a movable gas-filled assembly that passes over the body in combination with a gas detector inside of the body.
Also, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,487,677, Molitor discloses a method for detecting leaks in a vessel or pipe similar to the methods disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,504,530 and 2,486,199. Molitor also discloses a container that introduces test gas around a vessel or pipe and a detector, such as a mass spectrometer, connected to the interior of the pipe that detects the presence of any test gas, which indicates a leak in the piping.
Despite the number of available methods and devices for detecting whether there are leaks in piping and other vessels, it is believed that nothing in the prior art sufficiently determines the location of those detected leaks.
There is a need for effectively detecting the presence of leaks in piping and their location within the piping system.